Chapter 3

Shannon’s knees weakened beneath her.

Three months of silence.

Three months of absence.

Three months where she wasn’t there.

Her breathing grew uneven.

Three months where someone else was.

Her gaze slowly shifted back to Rowan. And this time she understood.

Rowan watched her, something sharp settling into his expression. “So you didn’t even know,”

The accusation in his tone was unmistakable.

“You claim to be my wife,” he continued, his voice turning colder with each word, “but you didn’t even know I’ve been here for three months.”

Shannon’s lips parted. “I..”

Nothing came out. Because how could she explain something she didn’t even understand herself?

Rowan let out a harsh breath. “That tells me everything I need to know.”

“No,” Shannon said quickly, panic surging again. “No, that’s not what it means. I was unconscious. I didn’t choose that. Rowan, please...”

“Convenient,” he cut in. “You disappear for three months and the moment I wake up and recover, you suddenly show up?”

Shannon stared at him. “You think I would do that?”

“I think you married me for money,” Rowan said bluntly. “And now that I’m back on my feet, you’re here for more.”

The accusation hit harder than anything else.

“No,” Shannon said, shaking her head violently. “No, that’s not true. You know me..”

“I don’t,” he snapped.

“I don’t know you,” he repeated, “And I don’t want to.”

“I’m done with this,” Rowan said, reaching for his phone. “Whatever you’re trying to pull, it ends here. Get ready for divorce. My lawyers will contact you.”

Divorce.

The word echoed in Shannon’s mind, hollow and distant.

“Rowan…” she whispered.

The nurse stepped forward quickly. “Miss Shannon, please,” she said gently, “You shouldn’t be standing. You need to...”

But Shannon didn’t move. She stood there, staring at Rowan like she was trying to memorize him all over again.

This version of him.

This stranger.

“This isn’t you,” she whispered. “My Rowan wouldn’t do this.”

For the briefest moment something flickered in Rowan's eyes again but Evelyn shifted and it vanished.

Shannon stared at him.

The man who once carried her up three flights of stairs because her heels had bruised her feet. The man who used to place his hand at the edge of every table so she wouldn’t bump into it. The man who had once burned his own fingers pulling a tray from the oven because she had forgotten her mittens and he didn’t want her to get hurt.

That Rowan…

Had just looked at her like she meant nothing.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. “No… this isn’t you.”

“Please leave.”

“Remember,” she begged, stepping toward him again despite the nurse calling softly behind her.

Evelyn stepped closer to Rowan, her hand sliding gently onto his arm.

Mrs. Whitmore folded her arms, her gaze sharp. “She has always been like this, that is how she trapped you in the first place.”

Shannon turned to her instantly, anger flaring through her tears. “I did not trap him.”

“Oh, you didn’t?” Mrs. Whitmore let out a humorless laugh. “Then should I remind you how that marriage certificate came to be?”

Shannon froze.

Rowan’s attention shifted. “How?” he asked.

Evelyn stepped forward softly, her voice lowering just enough to feel intimate. “Rowan… I didn’t want to bring this up while you were recovering, but you deserve to know the truth.”

“No…” Shannon whispered, shaking her head. “Don’t do this.”

But Evelyn didn’t even look at her. “You were going through a lot back then, your family was pressuring you. Your company was unstable. You trusted people you shouldn’t have.”

Shannon’s heart began to pound violently. “That’s not what happened, Rowan, you knew...”

“And she stayed close to you,” Evelyn went on, her tone trembling just enough to sound real. “She acted like she cared. Like she understood you. You relied on her.”

Rowan’s brows pulled together slightly.

“And then,” Evelyn continued, “she got you to sign documents. You trusted her. You didn’t even realize one of them was a marriage certificate.”

Shannon felt like the floor had disappeared beneath her. “That’s a lie!” she cried. “Rowan, you proposed to me. You asked me to marry you. You said you didn’t care about your family’s approval...”

“Enough.” Rowan’s voice cut through her words. “So that’s what this is. You tricked me into marrying you?”

“No!” Shannon shook her head desperately, stepping closer. “I would never do that to you. You chose me. You fought for me...”

Evelyn let out a soft, broken laugh. “I left because of her. I thought you chose her willingly. I thought… I thought I wasn’t enough.”

Rowan’s jaw tightened. “You left because of this?”

Evelyn nodded faintly. “I couldn’t stay and watch you build a life with someone who deceived you.”

“Rowan…” she whispered. But it was too late.

“You expect me to believe you?”

Shannon felt her chest cave in. “You did love me, you loved me so much you walked away from everything for me. You built your company from nothing because you said you wanted to give me a life where no one could look down on me again.”

“I think you married me for money.”

“No…” Shannon stared at him, her heart breaking in real time.

Evelyn lowered her head, when no one was looking she smiled.

Mrs. Whitmore grabbed Shannon’s arm. “You heard him, now leave. This time, you will not come between Rowan and Evelyn.”

“Let go of me,” Shannon said.

But Mrs. Whitmore tried to push her back.

Shannon yanked her arm free. “I said let go!”

She turned and rushed toward Rowan again, desperation overtaking everything.

“Rowan, please,” she cried. “Just look at me properly. Your mother is lying to you. Evelyn is lying. I can prove everything. Our home, our photos, your messages, the vows you wrote...”

Before she could reach him Evelyn moved.

She stepped into Shannon’s path, then suddenly stumbled with a cry, collapsing into Rowan’s arms like she had been shoved.

“Evelyn!” Rowan caught her instantly.

Shannon froze.

She hadn’t touched her. Not even close.

“I’m fine,” Evelyn whispered weakly. “Don’t be angry. She’s just upset.”

Rowan looked up. “You are this barbaric?”

“I didn’t touch her,” Shannon whispered.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I didn’t..”

“You want my attention that badly?” he snapped. “Or is it my money?”

The accusation crushed her.

Shannon stood there, unable to move.

Unable to breathe.

Unable to understand how the man who once promised her forever was now erasing her like she had never existed.